한국과 싱가포르 초등학교 영어 교과서 어휘 비교 분석

A comparative study of vocabulary in Korean and Singaporean elementary school English textbooks

  The aim of this study is to analyze both the lexical characteristics and challenges of Korean elementary school English textbooks in relation to Singaporean texts. For the analysis, text files are composed of Korean elementary school English textbooks and Singaporean elementary school English textbooks. The analysis of vocabulary presented the following results. First, types and tokens of vocabulary in Singaporean textbooks were larger in scope than those found in Korean versions. Regarding lexical variation, however, the textbooks in Korea showed more tokens per type than those in Singapore. Second, comparison of word frequency showed that Korean textbooks contain more words over a frequency of 10. Third, Korean textbooks contain more content words than function words and inserts. Fourth, more similarities are apparent in function words than in content words between the Korean and Singaporean rankings of word frequency. Finally, the vocabulary analysis according to theme demonstrates that Singaporean textbooks contain a greater diversity of words in each thematic area than those from Korea. Additionally, in the comparison of vocabulary reflecting the cultural background of each country, Singaporean textbooks list more words than Korean textbooks. The paper concludes with pedagogical implications and suggestions for English textbook development.